Operation Ocean Shield, NATO’s contribution to international efforts to
combat piracy off the Horn of Africa, commenced 17 August 2009 after the
North Atlantic Council (NAC) approved the mission. Operation Ocean
Shield builds on the experience gained during Operation Allied
Protector, NATOs’ previous counter-piracy mission, and develops a
distinctive NATO role based on the broad strength of the Alliance by
adopting a more comprehensive approach to counter-piracy efforts.
While at-sea counter-piracy operations will continue to be the focus, a
new element of regional-state counter-piracy capacity building has been
developed for Operation Ocean Shield. NATO’s capacity building effort
will aim to assist regional states, upon their request, in developing
their own ability to combat piracy activities. This element of the
operation is designed to complement the efforts of existing
international organisations and forces operating in the area and will
contribute to a lasting maritime security solution off the Horn of
Africa

Earlier
this month, NATO Maritime Command’s deputy commander, Vice Admiral
Christian Canova, accompanied a group of representatives from the NATO
Parliamentary Assembly during its visit to Djibouti. The aim of this
visit was to examine the contribution that armed forces and military
facilities stationed in Djibouti can make to support the implementation
of NATO’s new strategic concept, focusing on its counter piracy mission,
Operation Ocean Shield (OOS).

This
visit was indeed an opportunity to show members of parliament from NATO
countries how key counter piracy contributors coordinate their action
locally to make the Indian Ocean a safer place.

The
fifteen members of NATO country parliaments were welcomed by General
FRAF William Kurtz, Commandant of French Forces in Djibouti. They were
kindly hosted onboard a NATO OOS Danish warship HDNMS IVER HUITFELD.
Then, the NATO Parliamentary delegation had some talks with the
Djiboutian Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Youssouf and their
counterparts at the Djiboutian National Assembly. This was suitable an
opportunity to discuss matters of regional security, the political
situation in Somalia, but also Djibouti’s unique and strategic location.

VAdm Canova also
met with the Djiboutian Chief of the Navy, Colonel Abdurrahman Aden Cher
who wished to share his positive appraisal of stability progresses made
in the Horn of Africa, mentioning AMISOM successes with deployment of
Djibouti’s battalion to Somalia.

The
NATO parliamentary delegation then proceeded to visit the Japan Self-Defence
Forces’ maritime air detachment and base in Djibouti airport. The NATO
MPs were given a briefing on Japan’s involvement in counter piracy by
Capt. Moriwaki, commanding officer of the Japanese Deployment Air-force
for Counter Piracy Enforcement (DAPE).

Reflecting on his visit, VAdm Canova declared: “I am satisfied the way
multinational counter piracy forces are containing piracy this year. We
eventually should get some pay back of our past four year effort but
pirates are waiting ashore better opportunities. Fortunately, the
process of regional capability building is ongoing in Djibouti, Kenya,
Seychelles, Yemen and soon in Tanzania with the EU civilian capacity
building operation (EUCAP NESTOR), NATO’s regional maritime capacity
building (RMCB) and national initiatives. I am confident with the
capabilities regional navies and coast guards have developed in recent
years. Their participation in exercises such as “Cutlass Express” not
only shows that they are taking
an active step in securing their own waters, but that they are also
committed to play a more active role in the overall regional security”.

6 Nov 12

NATO Flagship
Participates in Regional Counter Piracy Exercise

This
week the NATO flagship, HNLMS Rotterdam has been participating in
Exercise Cutlass Express which allows regional, Indian Ocean navies to
develop their counter piracy procedures.
This US-led exercise is an annual event.The exercise began with a series
of roleplay situations allowing teams from the Tanzanian and Mozambican
navies to train and develop their boarding techniques and skills. They
work alongside sailors and marines from the US and the Netherlands
exchanging information, discussing experiences and learning through on
the job training.
News Release

24 Oct 12

Pirates Fire on NATO
Ship

This
morning while conducting routine surveillance off the Somali coast,
HNMLS ROTTERDAM the flagship for the NATO ‘OCEAN SHIELD’ counter piracy
mission, came under sustained fire from groups of suspected pirates.A
boarding team from Rotterdam was making an approach on a suspect dhow
near the coast when they came under fire from ashore and from the dhow
itself. Rotterdam returned fire in accordance with Rules of
Engagement, during which the dhow was seen to ignite and crew members
were observed leaping into the water. One crew member of the dhow was
killed in this action and 25 people were subsequently rescued from the
water by Rotterdam. Commodore Ben Bekkering, the commander of the NATO
Task Force, said that the Rotterdam and her boats remained under
sustained fire from the shore throughout, even while attempting to
rescue the crew of the stricken dhow and one of Rotterdam’s rigid
inflatable boats was damaged.
News Release

12 October 2012

Operation Ocean Shield Hosts Royal Visitor

Operation
Ocean Shield, NATO’s counter piracy mission welcomed the Crown Prince of
the Netherlands, his Royal Highness Prince Willem-Alexander earlier this
week. He spent two days onboard HNLMS Rotterdam, NATO’s counter piracy
flagship where he met staff and crew and where he was updated on the
current piracy effort. He was accompanied by the Netherland Chief of
Defense, General Tom Middendorp, and the Chief of the Military
Household, Major General Henk Morsink.

During his stay, the Prince not
only met with and talked to many of the crew, he also participated in a
number of activities. The crew demonstrated the use of their military
means and explained the manner in which piracy is handled. Most of all,
he acquired firsthand experience of counter piracy operations from
Rotterdam’s crew. In addition, he had the opportunity to talk to the
international task force staffs that are embarked on the flagship. They
come from seven different nations and are a very practical example of
the co-operation and co-ordination which exists within NATO.

The visitors were impressed by Rotterdam’s
capabilities and the achievements of the crew in counter piracy to date.
“This mission is essential for a trading nation like the Netherlands”
said the Dutch Crown Prince.

The Task Force is NATO’s contribution to the
international counter piracy effort and is led by Dutch Commodore Ben
Bekkering. In order to create a lasting solution in the first against
piracy, the mission is also aimed at building regional maritime
capacity.

The Task Force currently consist of ships from the
Netherland and the United States and a patrol aircraft from Denmark. In
the next months, more ships from other NATO nations will join this task
force adding to its capability.

20 Sep 12NATO Commander Reflects on 100
Days in Counter Piracy

On 6th June, Commodore Ben Bekkering took
over as Commander of NATO’s counter piracy mission, Operation Ocean
Shield. Today, with ships patrolling the shipping corridor in the Gulf
of Aden and present in front of the Somali coast, the Task Force remains
ready to prevent successful pirate attacks. Since then two merchant
ships have been attacked by pirates however neither were successful.
This represents a significant decline compared to previous periods. More
importantly, no merchant ships have been hijacked by pirates since May.
This does not mean that the pirates don’t try. On two occasions over the
Summer, they managed to hijack a dhow which could have been used as a
mothership from which to launch attacks. On both occasions the pirates
were disrupted by the NATO warships, HNLMS Evertsen and HNLMS Rotterdam
but they still hold seven ships and 177 crewmembers hostage.
News Release

28 Aug 12

Counter Piracy “Big Three” Meet At Sea

On
24 August the Force Commanders of the three international Counter-Piracy
task forces, NATO Operation Ocean Shield, the EU Naval Force, Operation
Atalanta and Combined Maritime Force (CMF)met on board the EU NAVFOR
flagship to exchange experiences and coordinate the fight against
piracy. The flagships, ITS San Giusto (EU NAVFOR), HNLMS Rotterdam
(NATO) and the ROKS Wang Geon (CMF) met in the Gulf of Aden to allow the
three Force Commanders to meet face to face. NATO Commander Commodore
Ben Bekkering and CMF Commander Rear Admiral Anho Chung were welcomed
by EU NAVFOR Force Commander Rear Admiral Enrico Credendino aboard the
San Giusto. The three Counter Piracy forces communicate and coordinate
their actions on a daily basis in order to enhance their capability end
effectiveness in deterring, disrupting and counteracting piracy in the
area of operation. Although modern means of communications allow
reliable long distance exchanges of information and a continuous flow of
communications, face to face meetings are still very important.
Therefore, cross-deck meetings are organised regularly in addition to
electronic forms of communication.

22 Aug 12

USS Taylor Leaves Ocean Shield to Head Home
After more than 5 intensive and rewarding months of patrolling in the
waters off the Horn of Africa, the NATO counter piracy task force said
farewell to USS Taylor . “When Operating in the Gulf of Aden, USS Taylor
has made an excellent contribution. She was completely dedicated to the
counter piracy mission. Nearing her 30th year in commission it is
impressive to see a ship achieving a continuous high readiness state,
eager to take any task given. The waters off Somalia offer a challenging
environment. Heat, sandstorms, few logistic stops, constant vigilance.
Taylor met the challenge and more”, states Commodore Ben Bekkering. As
part of the multinational maritime force, the USS Taylor was deployed as
part of the NATO task force from 7 May until 19 August in the waters
surrounding the Horn of Africa. USS Taylor will now begin her transit
home. She is expected back in her homeport, Mayport in mid September
after a 7 month deployment.

20 Aug 12

NATO and China Meet in Gulf of Aden

Yesterday,
NATO and China met in the Gulf of Aden, where Commodore Ben Bekkering
welcomed his Chinese counterpart, Rear Admiral Zhou Xuming onboard
NATO’s counter piracy flagship, HNLMS Rotterdam.“International
cooperation is the key to success”, explains Bekkering. “With so many
navies - NATO, EUNAVFOR, CMF and individual nations, unity by
coordination is vital. This meeting, between two of the major
contributors of the counter piracy
effort is just one of the coordination tools. An important tool though,
where we were able to truly exchange views and thoughts.”
News Release

14 Aug 12

NATO Warship HNLMS Rotterdam
frees hijacked dhow

In
the early morning of the 13th of August, the boarding team of HNLMS
Rotterdam disrupted a suspected pirate group before they could launch an
attack on a merchant ship. The decisive action was the result of a
daylong operation of ships and patrol aircraft from NATO and EUNAVFOR.
The search for the suspected pirates started five days ago, when
Bossaaso port authorities reported a possible hijacking of a dhow. Two
days later, the EU Naval Force unit Lafayette located the dhow. A visit
showed that the suspected pirates had transferred to another vessel, the
Bourhan Nour. That dhow was located another day later by another EU
Naval Force unit, FGS Sachsen.
News Release

20 Jul 12

NATO and Omani Navy Help Dhow

Yesterday,
HNLMS Evertsen and USS Taylor from the NATO Task Force joined with the
Royal Omani Navy Vessel, Al Mabrukah in locating and assisting the
Iranian dhow, Al Mahdi, drifting in the Arabian Sea. According to the
crew, the show had been hijacked by pirates earlier this month and was
abandoned when she ran out of fuel and supplies. The search was preceded
by coordination between NATO, the Omani Naval Headquarters and the
Iranian Rescue Coordination Center, after the latter had received a
distress call. Earlier yesterday morning, Al Mabrukah located the dhow.
Deteriorating sea conditions limited the assistance options an after an
attempt to tow by Al Mabrukah failed, Evertsen sent her rhib with fuel
and food.
Press Release

20 Jul 12

Counter Piracy Commanders
Meet in Gulf of Aden

On
Wednesday 18th July, the commander of the NATO Task Force, Commodore Ben
Bekkering, hosted his counterparts, EUNAVFOR Rear Admiral Jean-Baptiste
Dupuis and Combined Maritime
Force (CMF) Rear Admiral Anho Chung on board of his flagship HNLMS
Evertsen. While the meeting was used to conduct replenishment of
supplies at sea, it demonstrated a very practical example of the level
of cooperation that exists between the task forces. The real purpose,
though, was for the three Commanders to exchange ideas and share
thoughts on counter piracy. With the monsoon now at full strength, the
pirates are more limited in their options. However, once the monsoon
subsides it is more than likely that the pirates will again attempt to
launch attacks on merchant ships.
Press Release

3 Jul 12

Freed seafarers sail home

Two
days after HNLMS Evertsen released a hijacked dhow, the small ship
sailed home. The crew of the dhow said goodbye to the flagship of the
NATO counter-piracy Operation Ocean Shield. “Of course we are here
because of the importance of the sea lanes
of communications and their relevance to global economy”, states NATO’s
counter-piracy commander, Commodore Ben Bekkering. “But the smile on the
faces of the sailors of the dhow paints at least as strong a picture as
container vessels arriving in Rotterdam”.
After a two day hunt in the Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea, NATO’s
flagship HNLMS Evertsen,
boarded a pirated dhow in the early morning of 29th July and released
seven hijacked Indian and Bangladeshi crewmembers. After the action the
dhow crew stayed on board of the Dutch warship, to recuperate from the
ordeal. Meanwhile the sailors of Evertsen took care of the dhow. While
both ships sailed towards the homeport of the dhow, the NATO staff
stayed in touch with the Omani navy. On Sunday morning Evertsen and the
Omani naval ship Al Muazzar met at sea and escorted by the Omani navy
ship the dhow and its crew sailed home. Commanding officer of the
Evertsen, Commander Boudewijn Boots said “The relief and joy of the
crew, after the tormenting insecurity about their fate, touched me.
That’s why we are here.”

29 Jun 12

HNLMS Evertsen disrupts pirate action group

After
a two day hunt in the Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea, NATO’s flagship
HNLMS Evertsen boarded a pirated dhow early this morning and released
seven hijacked Indian and Bangladeshi crew members. The Omani flagged
dhow Nebarkad had been hijacked on 20th June off the coast of Oman, and
was used by the pirates to attack merchant vessels in the Arabian Sea.
The two day operation was the conclusion of a longer period in which a
group of suspected pirates used dhows to conduct attacks on merchant
vessels throughout the Arabian Sea. On 27th June an alarm call came in
from the MV Namrun a Maltese flagged bulk carrier. The captain stated
that an unknown dhow had attempted to attack it and shots were fired.
News Release

21 Jun 12

NATO warship escorts WFP ship

Earlier
this week, USS Taylor, part of the NATO counter piracy mission Operation
Ocean Shield escorted the World Food Programme (WFP) ship, MV Tupi
Maiden. The WFP ship was making a westbound transit to Djibouti through
the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC) in the Gulf of
Aden. MV Tupi Maiden began her transit escorted by the French warship,
FS Guepratte from the EU’s Operation Atalanta. USS Taylor took over the
escort from a pre-planned point in the IRTC and continued westward to
Djibouti. During the transit, Taylor maintained a position close to the
WFP vessel to deter piracy and respond rapidly if MV Tupi Maiden was
attacked or if suspicious vessels were reported to be operating too
close to the vessel.
News Release

The
Commander of the Russian counter-piracy mission, Captain First Rank
Vladimir A. Kondratov, visited NATO’s counter-piracy flagship HNLMS
Evertsen today. The aim of the visit was to share
experiences of counter-piracy efforts and seek opportunities to improve
the level of cooperation and coordination.After being welcomed by the
Task Force Commander, Commodore Ben Bekkering, the Russian delegation
was briefed about NATO’s counter-piracy mission, Operation Ocean Shield.
Captain Kondratov, in turn, provided an overview of the Russian
counter-piracy efforts and current convoy procedures. Considerable time
was spent sharing views and information about the current situation
around the Horn of Africa, including the most recent hijacking attempts
and the use of private security teams. Both commanders agreed that there
was scope to expand the exchange of information and that they would seek
ways to achieve that. In addition, they agreed to investigate
possibilities for counter-piracy related exercises.
News Release

18 Jun 12

HNLMS Evertsen assists dhow
in distress

On
Friday 15th June, the NATO flagship HNLMS Evertsen responded to a
distress call from the dhow M/V Al Hijrad. The cargo trawler, with 17
crew members on board was on its way to the United Arab Emirates but was
dead in the water in the Indian Ocean near the Horn of Africa, where the
northwest monsoon causes strong winds and high seas. Al Hijrad’s captain
reported that the cargo ship had been at sea for several days, when they
were struck by a major engine failure.

Upon arriving on the scene, Evertsen launched a Rigid Hull Inflatable
Boat (RHIB) to provide assistance. But due to the high sea state caused
by the monsoon, it was not possible to climb safely on board. So the
helicopter hoisted the technical crew and kit on board of the dhow.
Having assessed the situation, the technical crew concluded that the
engine was too badly damaged to repair at sea. So HNLMS Evertsen towed
the dhow to the safety of Boosasso port and was thanked by the dhow’s
captain as their ways parted.

“The sea can be an unforgiving place, when your vessel is adrift and
without power,
especially when you are in the hunting grounds of pirates”, said
Commander Boudewijn
Boots, commanding officer of HNLMS Evertsen. He continued, “We are here
to preserve and ensure the free passage of goods and to make sure
merchant communities feel safe and secure against pirates. But when we
come across a vessel in distress, we are ready to assist where we can.”

Earlier today, Commodore Ben
Bekkering (Royal Netherlands Navy), assumed command of Operation Ocean
Shield, NATO‟s counter piracy mission from Rear Admiral Sinan Azmi Tosun
(Turkish Navy) in the port of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. As incoming
Commander, Commodore Ben Bekkering stressed the need to remain vigilant.
"On Admiral Tosun‟s six-month watch, the success rate of pirates has
seen a sharp decline. Pirates find it increasingly difficult to deploy
from the coast and hunt at sea. But the many incidents over the last few
months, including attacks and hijackings, make it absolutely clear that
we can't let our guard down. I see it as my absolute task to ensure the
trend continues and engage with all partners in the region to maximize
our combined effect."

Late on Friday May 11th a fully equipped
Somali pirate action group hunting for vulnerable
merchant traffic in the Arabian Sea was disrupted by the Turkish warship
TCG GIRESUN,
NATO’s counter piracy Task Force flagship. On board the Yemeni type
dhow were 14 suspected
pirates and 7 Yemeni hostages of the original crew. The successful
disruption was the
culmination of a sequence of events that started on the afternoon of May
10th following
reports that a chemical tanker had been attacked by a skiff launched
from a suspected pirate
mother ship.
News Release

12 Apr 12

Mother Ship Disrupted and
Crew Freed by NATO Ship

On Wednesday 11th April, the NATO ship HDMS
Absalon disrupted a dhow, detained 16
suspected pirates and freed the 12-member dhow crew. During a patrol off
the Somali east coast, HDMS ABSALON, part of NATO’s Counter Piracy
Operation Ocean Shield spotted an Iranian-flagged dhow which was
hijacked one month ago and was currently being used as a mother ship by
suspected pirates operating in the area. HDMS ABSALON was tasked to
approach the mother ship to carry out a disruption. After stopping the
mother ship, HDMS ABSALON sent her boarding team to search the vessel.
The team conducted a compliant boarding and assumed full control over
the
mother ship. On board the mother ship were 16 Somalis suspected of
piracy, as well as a crew of 12 from Pakistan and Iran who had been held
hostage on the mother ship throughout the last month.The operation was
achieved without the use of arms. After questioning the original crew,
they were released with their vessel.“I am glad that we successfully
disrupted another suspected pirate attack group and freed hostages as
well. I am sure that our resolute operations discourage the
pirates.” said Rear Admiral (LH) Sinan Azmi TOSUN, Commander of NATO
Counter Piracy Task Force.

28 Feb 12

Danish Ship Disrupts Pirate
Vessel

During the early morning of 27th February, off
the coast of Somalia, Her Danish Majesty’s Ship
(HDMS) Absalon, acting as part of NATO’s counter-piracy operation
(Operation OCEAN SHIELD),
approached a vessel that had been previously captured by pirates and was
being used as a mother-ship (from which pirates normally launch attacks
on other merchant vessels). HDMS Absalon successfully disrupted the
pirate vessel however, two members of the original crew were found
wounded and subsequently died.
News Release

6 Feb 12

Successful start to
2012 for Operation Ocean Shield

The
first 13 days of January were busy ones for NATO’s counter piracy task
force; they successfully stopped and disrupted three separate pirate
groups from launching attacks on legitimate maritime traffic. In the
first incident on Friday 6th January the USS CARNEY acting on
intelligence from other counter piracy forces intercepted the Indian
flagged dhow AL QASHMI off the south western coast of Oman. Once onboard
the dhow the USS CARNEY’S Board and Search Team quickly discovered that
all evidence of potential piracy had been disposed of and questioning of
the dhow’s crew revealed that they had been hijacked with the 9
suspected pirates launching from a different dhow. The 9 suspected
pirates were detained. The crew of the AL QASHMI were offered assistance
and then allowed to go about their lawful business.
News Release

18 Jan 12

NATO Commander meets Russian
Counterpart in Gulf of Aden

Yesterday,
Rear Admiral (LH) Sinan Azmi TOSUN, Commander of the NATO Counter Piracy
Mission Operation Ocean Shield, visited the Commander of Russian Warship
Detachment of Russian Pacific Fleet, Captain 1st Rank Ildar AHMEROV on
board his flagship ADMIRAL TRIBUTS in the Gulf of Aden. The Russian
Federation warship, as part of its counter piracy operation, was
escorting a merchant vessel convoy and passed the area where the NATO
flagship TCG GIRESUN was patrolling.
News Release

16 Jan 11

NATO Warship Renders
Assistance to Stricken Dhow

Over
the weekend, ITS GRECALE, part of the NATO’s Counter Piracy Task Force
Operation Ocean Shield, was tasked by NATO Task Force Commander to
render assistance to the Iranian flagged dhow, Tahriri, which had
reported an engine failure and was dead in the water. The dhow, with 5
Iranian and 9 Pakistani crew members, had recently been released from
suspected Somali pirates by
another NATO Task Force unit, HDMS ABSALON, on 7th January.

RFA
Fort Victoria, part of NATO’s counter piracy task force Operation Ocean
Shield has successfully disrupted a suspected pirate vessel looking to
launch attacks on merchant vessels transiting through the Gulf of Aden.
On Thursday 12 January, USS Carney also part of Operation Ocean Shield
discovered and tracked a suspected pirate vessel. Early on Friday 13th
January, RFA Fort Victoria along with her embarked helicopter was tasked
to intercept the suspected pirate vessel. At first light, Fort Victoria
launched her helicopter to investigate the suspected pirate vessel. In
order to stop the vessel, the helicopter fired several rounds of various
warning shots.
News Release

9 Jan 12

NATO Task Force Neutralises Two Pirate Mother Ships

Over
the last 3 days in two separate operations units of NATO’S Counter
Piracy Task Force 508 successfully identified and neutralised two ocean
going dhows that had been pirated and were subsequently being used as
mother ships from which Somali pirates were intending to launch attacks
on merchant shipping in the sea lanes off Somalia and the southern
Arabian coasts.

Rear
Admiral (LH) Sinan Azmi TOSUN, Commander of NATO’s Counter Piracy Task
Force, with his flagship TCG GIRESUN welcomed in 2012 by visiting
Muscat, Oman. The scheduled visit allowed Rear
Admiral (LH) Sinan Azmi TOSUN to pay a visit to the Chief of the Royal
Omani Navy, Rear Admiral Abdullah
bin Khamis Al-Raisi.During his visit, Rear Admiral (LH) TOSUN had a
chance to explain the role of NATO’s counter piracy mission and to
stress once again the importance of the regional countries’ support to
counter piracy activities in ensuring the safe transit of the merchant
vessels. “The Muscat port visit was a good opportunity for us to
assure Omani authorities that NATO remains firm in its commitment to
fight against piracy in the region. Piracy in the Arabian Sea threatens
neighbouring countries. We had an extremely useful and constructive
face-to-face discussion about the current situation and shared our
thoughts on how to tackle piracy.” said Rear Admiral (LH) TOSUN.

16 Dec 11

NATO and CMF Commanders Meet At Sea

On
14th December Rear Admiral Sinan Azmi TOSUN Commander of NATO’s Counter
Piracy Force, hosted the Task Force Commander of the Combined Maritime
Forces (CMF) Rear Admiral (UH)
Kaleem SHAUKAT SI (Pakistan Navy). The two Commanders met on board the
NATO flagship, TCG GIRESUN, in the Gulf of Aden to discuss matters of
mutual concerns such as cooperation in the most effective deployment of
ships and aircraft in the Gulf of Aden and Somali Basin.
News release

9 Dec 11

Third NATO Radio Broadcast Begins in Praise of Women

As part of it's counter piracy mission, Operation Ocean
Shield, NATO has worked on a third radio broadcast which is played on
Somali radio stations. This broadcast takes the form of a poem in praise
of Somali women. It was written by Liban Obsiye in honour of
International Women's Day. The links below take you to the actual script
of the broadcast in English and also the Somali script.

On
16 November, Commander Maritime Air Northwood, Rear Admiral Jacques de
Solms (FRA N) presented the Norwegian P-3 SAINT detachment with the
non-article 5 NATO Africa Medal for their deployment as part of NATO’s
counter-piracy mission, Operation Ocean Shield. Rear Admiral de Solms
complimented the P-3 detachment saying, “The SAINT detachment has done
an outstanding and exemplary job in the counter-piracy effort. Maritime
Command Northwood is extremely pleased with their results and we look
forward to many more Norwegian detachments in the future. Their
professionalism and ability to conduct surface search (SSC) and
intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) gathering have
proven, yet again, that maritime air is an invaluable asset to counter
piracy operations.”

1 Dec 11

NATO Warship Stops Pirate Attack Group

On
28 November, the Royal Navy vessel, RFA Fort Victoria was patrolling in
an area approximately 420 nautical miles from the Seychelles and 350
nautical miles from the Somali coast as part of NATO’s counter piracy
task force 508.

Early that morning, she received information
that a Spanish fishing vessel operating to the north of their position
had come under attack from a group of pirate vessels. The ship’s Lynx
helicopter was quickly despatched to investigate.Once
at the scene, the helicopter identified two suspect vessels, a whaler
and a skiff, in the vicinity of the fishing vessel. The faster of the
two, a skiff, sped away at over 25 knots as the helicopter gave chase.
When the skiff ignored orders to stop, the Lynx helicopter fired warning
shots ahead of the fleeing vessel which stopped and the suspected
pirates onboard were then transferred to Fort Victoria via boat.

Fort Victoria’s Royal Marines boarding team then boarded the whaler and
another skiff in the vicinity. As a result of the day’s action, a total
of seven suspected pirates were detained onboard Fort Victoria along
with their whaler as evidence, with no injuries being sustained by
either side.

Captain Gerry Northwood Royal Navy, embarked in Fort Victoria said: “It
has been a long but rewarding operation with many complex aspects.
Operating under NATO tasking and in consultation with our headquarters
in the Middle East and in the UK, we utilised a range of national and
international assets to bring these events to a satisfactory conclusion.
Fort Victoria has once again demonstrated that multinational
coordination can be successfully deployed to disrupt piracy in this area
in order to protect international merchant shipping.”

29 Nov 11

ITS Andrea Doria supports the crew of the
MV Rosalia D'Amato

Over
the weekend, NATO’s flag ship, the Italian ship Andrea Doria assisted
the MV Rosalia D’Amato after she was released from 7 months in pirate
captivity. A team of Italian marines from the San Marco regiment boarded
the MV Rosalia D’Amato to act as a Vessel Protection Detachment and were
accompanied by a medical and technical team.The medical team looked
after the crew while the technical team assessed the engine prior to the
Rosalia D’Amato leaving Somali waters.The Italian marines will remain on
board as the Vessel Protection Detachment until the vessel reaches her
next port of call.Early Sunday afternoon the MV Rosalia D’Amato was able
to begin her transit to her next port of call.
More pictures

25 Nov 11

United Nations
commends NATO Counter Piracy Efforts

At
its meeting in New York this week the United Nations Security Council
voted to extend its mandate for those fighting piracy off the Horn of
Africa by a further 12 months. NATO deployed on its Counter Piracy
operations in response to the UN’s concern over the damage and
disruption to world trade caused by the rapid growth in piracy off the
Somali coast. The extension of the mandate through to the end of 2012
reflects the NATO mission sanctioned by the North Atlantic Council which
is also due to expire at the end of 2012.
Press Release

Yesterday
in a ceremony at NATO Allied Joint Force Command Lisbon (JFCLB) in
Oeiras, Portugal, NATO’s Maritime Command Headquarters Northwood (MC
Northwood) assumed operational control of NATO’s counter-piracy mission,
Operation Ocean Shield.The handover took place during SACEUR's
Commanders Conference, held in the Lisbon Headquarters. Supreme Allied
Commander Europe (SACEUR), Admiral James Stavridis, formally handed over
the operational control from Lieutenant General Philippe Stoltz,
Commander JFCLB, to Admiral Sir Trevor Soar KCB OBE, Commander MC
Northwood.Passing the Operation Ocean Shield tin plate, Admiral
Stavridis dedicated an “extraordinary well done to Lieutenant-General
Philippe Stoltz and his magnificent team”. He continued, “Admiral Sir
Trevor Soar, I am very honoured to pass this plate to a wonderful,
professional naval officer”. This change of command ceremony is one of
the outcomes from the recent NATO Command Structure Reform. It was
launched at the Lisbon Summit in November 2010 and the model and
geographical footprint were approved by defence ministers in June 2011.
The implementation is expected to take at least one year and the
handover from Lisbon to Northwood is the first step in the process.MC
Northwood has considerable experience in counter-piracy operations at
the tactical level already which it will be able to carry over to the
higher operational level. Under the Command Review Northwood will become
the Alliance’s single Maritime Headquarters in NATO and as such will
have responsibility for delivering command and control of the full
spectrum of joint maritime capabilities and to act as NATO’s principal
maritime advisor.

15 Nov 11

NATO Parliamentary Assembly meets Counter
Piracy Commander

Yesterday
members of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly went on board NATO’s
counter piracy flagship, ITS Andrea Doria. The Assembly were in Djibouti
for a programme of meetings with officials and ITS Andrea Doria was on a
port visit. Admiral Gualtiero Mattesi, Commander of NATO's counter
piracy task force and Captain Domenico Guglielmi, Commanding
Officer of the flag ship hosted a meeting on board of ITS Andrea Doria.
It provided a excellent opportunity for RAdm Mattesi to share with the
political part of the NATO Alliance his experiences of counter piracy
and pirates in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden. He and the current
NATO Task Force have been in the region since June 2011.The
Assembly visit was undertaken by members of the Mediterranean and Middle
East Special Group and Sub-Committee on NATO partnerships.

The
Danish frigate, HDMS Absalon today joins the NATO counter piracy task
force (TF508) for a second period of duty.HDMS Absalon was NATO’s
counter-piracy flagship between January and March 2010 when she spent a
busy 3 months in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean. Rear Admiral
Gualtiero Mattesi, Commander of NATO’s counter piracy Task Force said “
I’m very pleased to welcome HDMS Absalon back into NATO’s counter piracy
work and look forward to working with her and her crew. The Absalon is
equipped and has the resources necessary to enhance our mission.”
News Release

4
Oct 11

NATO Chief Warns of Increasing Pirate Activity

In
the last few days the number of pirate attacks off the coast of Somalia
has increased highlighting the fact that now the monsoon is weakening,
the pirates are once again ready to attack merchant ships transiting
through the Indian Ocean. MC Northwood’s Chief of Staff, Rear Admiral
Hank Ort (NLD N) states, “in the last few years, it has been the case
that come October when the South West monsoon weakens, the pirates have
been able to put to sea and we have seen the number of attacks on
merchant vessels increase. We are warning vessels that reports show that
there are pirate groups operating already in the Indian Ocean, Arabian
Sea and Gulf of Aden. Merchant vessels should ensure that Best
Management Practices are followed and that vessels continue to make it
as difficult as possible for pirates to board and take control of their
ships. Our Naval forces are not complacent and remain vigilant. Despite
the lull in pirate attacks over the Summer due to the monsoon they have
continued to patrol throughout the region."
News ReleaseSlideof small boats

26 Sep 11

Norwegian Aircraft Makes First Flight for Operation Ocean Shield

On
Friday 23rd September, the Norwegian Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) call
sign Golden Arrow made its first flight in Operation Ocean Shield. The
MPA arrived at its base on 13th September and after some maintenance
work flew along the Somali coast for the first time on Friday. Aircraft
provide the NATO ships with information which in turn allows them to
patrol the sea in a more focussed area. The area where Somali pirates
are operating is so large that an aircraft is essential to be able to
patrol it effectively. The Norwegian MPA will be in the area until mid
December.

26 Sep 11

USS De
Wert Helps Vessel in Distress

During
the early morning of September 21, the USS De Wert and her crew helped a
cargo dhow which was experiencing engineering problems and making no way
through the water. DE WERT launched her helo to gain an initial
observation and shortly after manned the boat deck to launch her rigid
hull inflatable boat (RHIB). Sixteen crew members, along with one
interpreter, loaded the RHIB and approached the dhow. Upon boarding,
crewmembers found 5 personnel, along with an inoperable motor and only a
bag of rice and a can of tuna to share. The master of the dhow told DE
WERT’s boarding officer that they left Yemen on September 5 for a
routine twenty-four hour trip to Somalia to deliver fuel in exchange for
fish. Unfortunately, without a motor, this twenty-four hour trip turned
into being stranded at sea for fifteen days. Upon inspection of the
motor, it was discovered that the battery needed to be replaced,
so the RHIB returned to DE WERT to obtain the proper battery along with
other supplies that were needed for the repair. As the repair party
worked on the motor, other DE WERT crew members distributed food and
water among the members of the dhow. When all repairs were made, DE WERT
stood by to ensure that all problems were fixed and watched as the dhow
maneuvered along on its own into the horizon.

21Sep 11

NATO Warship Rescues M/V Pacific Express
Crew

In
the morning of September 21, 2011, NATO’s counter piracy flag ship, Italian
Ship (ITS) Andrea Doria, rescued the crew of M/V Pacific Express, 180
nautical miles off the coast of Kenya. M/V Pacific Express had reported
being under pirate attack on September 20, 2011.

ITS
ANDREA DORIA, NATO’s counter piracy task force flagship left Mombasa
yesterday (18th September) after a period of rest, repairs and
maintenance in Kilindini Harbour. The port visit was a good opportunity
for Rear Admiral Gualtiero Mattesi (ITA N), Commander of the counter
piracy task force to meet with local authorities and officers from the
Kenyan Navy to assure them that NATO remains firm in its commitment to
fighting piracy in the region.

Earlier
this week, the Commander of the Russian Tactical Group, Captain Vladimir
Alexandrovich Kondratov visited the NATO Flagship, ITS Andrea Doria where he
had a meeting with NATO’s Commander, Rear Admiral Gualtiero Mattesi. The
visit occurred at the end of a port visit to Djibouti by the Russian Group.

20 July 11

NATO Commander meets Turkish Counterpart in Gulf of Aden

Rear
Admiral Gualtiero Mattesi hosted a visit on board his flagship, ITS
Andrea Doria by the Commander of the Turkish Maritime Task Group, Capt.
Murat Ozenalp and his Chief of Staff, Capt. Erhan Sensoy. The Turkish
Task Group is on national tasking but is contributing to the
international community's counter piracy efforts around the Horn of
Africa. After the visit RAdm Mattesi said, ""This was a very useful meeting to exchange
important information on both Naval Task Forces counter piracy
operations."

19 July 11

NATO Begins Second Somali Radio Broadcasts

As
part of it's counter piracy mission, Operation Ocean Shield, NATO has
worked on a second radio broadcast which can be played on Somali radio
stations. The broadcast aims to correct some of the misinformation which
the pirates have given to the Somali people. The links below take you to
the actual script of the broadcast in English and also the Somali
broadcast as it is heard on Somali radio stations.

Three
officers from MC Northwood received Africa medals from Northwood's Chief
of Staff, Rear Admiral Hank Ort (NLD N) earlier this week. Recipients
this week were, Cdr Andy Jackman (GBR N), Cdr Frederic Barthelemy (FRA
N) and Lt Michael Watts (FRA N). The Africa medal is presented to all
personnel who have spent 30 days continuous service in the area of
operations for, in this case, Operation Ocean Shield.

17 June 11

New Commander for NATO's Counter Piracy Task Force

Earlier
this week, the Commander of NATO’s counter piracy Task Force, Operation
Ocean Shield Commodore Michiel B Hijmans (Royal Netherlands Navy),
handed over responsibilities to his successor Rear Admiral Gualtiero
Mattesi (Italian Navy). Looking back at his two terms of Ocean Shield
Commodore Hijmans said: “It has been a satisfying and challenging period
and I feel privileged and honoured to have commanded the forces in
NATO’s counter piracy operation. The excellent cooperation between all
task forces has been vital and proved very successful. During the last
few months NATO was able to disrupt numerous mother ships and pirate
groups, significantly decreasing the number of successful attacks on
merchant vessels. As Rear Admiral Mattesi takes over I know he will
continue this determination to fight piracy to the full extent of our
mandate.”

Recent disruptions of several Pirate Action
Groups by NATO forces within the Somali Basin have freed a significant
number of hostages from captivity and denied the pirates their
motherships. By careful co-ordination of his available forces Commodore
Michael Hijmans NLD, NATO’s Commander of its Counter Piracy task force,
was able to seize the initiative and engage known pirate motherships.
NATO was then able to disrupt them by either forcing their surrender or
removing their capacity to attack merchant ships by the destruction of
their attack skiffs. In the most recent pirate disruption on 16th May
the USS BAINBRIDGE was tasked to investigate a report of a pirate attack
by the MSC Ayala. In two other separate incidents last week the American
ship USS STEPHEN W GROVES and the Danish ship HDMS ESBERN SNARE both
encountered armed pirate gangs actively hunting for targets of
opportunity. Press
Statement

10 May 11

NATO Warship Intercepts Pirate Mother Ship and Frees 15 Hostages

Last
week, a fully equipped pirate action group heading from the Somali coast
into the Indian Ocean was intercepted and disabled by the American
warship USS BAINBRIDGE, part of NATO’s task force supporting Operation
Ocean Shield, NATOs counter piracy mission. When hailed to stop by the
USS BAINBRIDGE the pirates surrendered to the NATO warship without any
shots being fired. Subsequently the crew of the dhow comprising 15
hostages were released.
Press Release

29 Apr 11

NATO’S Latest Counter Piracy Weapon Strikes Early
Blow

Yesterday
in a coordinated action between NATO‟s Maritime Patrol and
Reconnaissance Aircraft (MPRA) and Naval forces, armed pirates were
stopped at sea and had their piracy equipment taken off them, preventing
them from attacking innocent merchant ships. Recently deployed to the
Seychelles by Portugal in direct support of Operation OCEAN SHIELD,
NATO‟s Counter Piracy mission off Somalia, and flying only its 5th
sortie the P3 Orion MPRA observed a suspicious pirate whaler
approximately 80 miles from shore. The vessel was loaded with fuel and
towing two attack skiffs - a common pirate configuration. When the
suspected pirates saw the NATO aircraft they manned the two skiffs which
then raced away. In a classic coordinated military operation the Danish
warship Esbern Snare, which was 120 miles away, was vectored onto the
scene and tasked to investigate.
Press Release

26 Apr 11

NATO Warship Destroys Pirate Assets

On
Sunday US warship, USS Stephen W. Groves, operating as part of NATO’s
counter piracy mission - Operation Ocean Shield, fired upon two unmanned
pirate skiffs that were being towed by the previously pirated vessel Jih
Chun Tsai 68. Operating approximately 100 miles off the
coast of Somalia, the NATO warship had successfully intercepted two
pirated motor vessels - MV Zirku and MV Rosalia D’amato, and followed
the vessels as they headed towards the Somali coast.

Over
the weekend Turkish Warship TCG Giresun, operating as part of NATO’s
counter piracy mission Operation Ocean Shield, boarded and freed a dhow
that had been previously been hijacked by pirates, and was now being
used as a pirate mothership. Earlier, merchant vessel, MV
Vienna Express had reported that she had come under attack by pirates,
with the mothership dhow loitering nearby. The Combined Maritime
Forces (CMF) directed one of her Maritime Reconnaissance and Patrol
aircraft (MPRA) to locate the dhow and NATO warship TCG Giresun also
raced to the scene of the attack.

After
receiving a personal invitation by the Ministry of Foreign affairs
(UAE), the commander of NATO‟s counter piracy operation, Ocean Shield,
Commodore Michiel Hijmans (Royal Netherlands Navy) addressed the high
level counter-piracy conference held in Dubai between 18-19 April 11. As
NATO‟s tactical counter-piracy commander, Commodore Hijmans presented „a
view of the situation from the front line’ to the international audience
of counter piracy stakeholders.Speaking about all the maritime forces
that are operating in the region, Commodore Hijmans highlighted the
counter-piracy efforts that are being made, not just in the Gulf of Aden
and the International Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC), but also
wider afield, in the Somali Basin. As the Somali Basin coordinator -
responsible for all areas outside the IRTC, Commodore Hijmans stipulated
that a number of warships and aircraft regularly patrol the Somali coast
and other areas known for pirate attacks, with firm action being taken
against piracy.
Press Release

21 Apr 11

NATO Warship Disables Pirate Group After Attack on Merchant Ship

This
morning NATO warship TCG Giresun disabled a pirate group that had
attacked and hijacked a merchant vessel.
In the early hours the Turkish warship was hailed by the master of Motor
Vessel Hanjin Tianjin - a Korean flagged vessel, who said that his ship
was under attack from pirates. The crew had locked themselves away
in the citadel, or strong room. TCG Giresun quickly responded by
sending her helicopter ahead to render assistance. When the
helicopter arrived at the scene no activity was sighted.

Last
night the boarding team of NATO warship HDMS Esbern Snare returned fire
on a pirated dhow after they came under attack.
The Danish warship, which is conducting counter-piracy patrols off the
Somali coast had observed the pirated dhow moving very slowly towards a
known pirate anchorage, towing one skiff. As HDMS Esbern Snare
approached the dhow, the Danish crew observed some of the men throwing
items over the side and climbing in to the skiff.

Earlier
this month, NATO counter-piracy forces delivered a severe blow against
armed pirates off the coast of Somalia by arresting 34 suspected
pirates. The suspected pirates had previously been observed
loading up their mother ships and skiffs with fuel and weapons in order
to attack merchant ships further out to sea. In a well-planned
operation, NATO warships conducted a night-time strike on the known
pirate lairs at sea, close to the coast. As well as detaining the
34 suspected pirates, 34 innocent hostages, who had been held by the
pirates, were freed unharmed by the NATO forces. Press
Release

12 Apr 11

NATO Warship Helps IRENE SL After Release

Early
on 8th April, the NATO warship USS Bainbridge received a call from the
Master of MV Irene SL asking for medical assistance. The pirates had
released Irene SL after receiving a ransom from the vessel’s owner. A
team from USS Bainbridge went on board Irene early the next morning to
verify the crew was safe and give any assistance needed. The boarding
team took food, water, milk, medical supplies, and cleaning supplies for
the crew.
Press Release

05 Apr 11

NATO Warship Stops Pirates in Gulf of Aden

Turkish
warship TCG Giresun, which is part of NATO’s counter piracy operation
Ocean Shield, has prevented two pirate boats, known as ‘skiffs’ from
carrying out acts of piracy in the Gulf of Aden.

Over
the weekend NATO flagship HNLMS Tromp rescued the crew from a dhow that
had previously been hijacked by armed pirates off the coast of Somalia.
On Saturday, Netherlands warship HNLMS Tromp spotted the pirated dhow
heading for a known pirate camp and as the warship closed to
investigate, her boarding team was fired upon. Acting in self defence,
the crew from HNLMS Tromp returned fire. Ten pirates tried to escape in
a skiff, but were quickly captured, and five were wounded and
subsequently received medical care on board the Dutch warship.

At
an operational medal parade on board the NATO flagship HNLMS De Ruyter,
Lieutenant Commander Georgi Savov of the Bulgarian Armed forces became
the first Bulgarian officer to receive the NATO Non Article Five Africa
Medal for his participation in NATO’s counter piracy mission, Operation
Ocean Shield.
Press Release

28 Mar 11

NATO Flagship Welcomes Chinese Navy Taskforce
Commander

At
the weekend the Commander of NATO maritime forces conducting counter
piracy operation Ocean Shield, Commodore Michiel Hijmans (Royal
Netherlands Navy), gave a warm welcome to his Chinese counterpart,
Commodore Han Xiaoh, when he visited the new NATO flagship HNLMS Tromp
at sea in the Gulf of Aden.
Press Release

After
serving as the NATO flagship for 4 months in the counter piracy mission
Operation Ocean Shield, the Dutch warship HNLMS DE Ruyter handed
over her flagship duties to HNLMS Tromp yesterday. Tromp is the third
warship to hold flagship duties for the NATO Task Group under
Netherlands command.
Press Release

17 Mar 11

NATO broadcasts on Somali Radio

As part of the counter piracy mission, Operation Ocean Shield, NATO has
worked on a radio broadcast that can be played on Somali radio stations.
The broadcast aims to correct some of the misinformation which the
pirates have given to the Somali people. The links below take you to the
actual script of the broadcast in English and also the Somali broadcast
as it is heard on Somali radio stations.
View translated script.
Listen to Broadcast

08 Mar 11

Successful cooperation between NATO and Combined Maritime Forces

&

This weekend a joint effort between two counter piracy task forces led
to the safe recovery of the vessel, MV Guanabara. On Saturday the MV
Guanabara issued a distress call saying she was under attack by pirates.
The crew retreated into the citadel or safe room and kept in contact
with the counter piracy forces. The USS Bulkeley of the Combined
Maritime Forces (CMF), was the closest naval vessel that could respond
and proceeded to the scene of the incident. The NATO warship TCG Giresun
was tasked to support USS Bulkeley.
Press Release/a>

03 March 11

East and West Meet in the Middle

Yesterday
Commodore Michiel Hijmans, commander of the NATO counter piracy task
force, Operation Ocean Shield visited the commander of the Indian ship
INS Ganga, Captain Prakash, which is in the area conducting merchant
ship convoys. After a quick transfer by sea boats Captain Prakash
welcomed the NATO delegation on board the INS Ganga. India has been
conducting counter piracy operations since August 2008 and has safely
escorted all ships in their convoys.

NATO
Maritime HQ based at Northwood, London has published updated guidelines
on the NATO Shipping Centre (NSC) website to highlight the very real
threat from pirate attacks to all vessels transiting the Gulf of Aden,
Somali Basin and Indian Ocean – a sea area the size of Western Europe.

This
morning Dutch warship HNLMS De Ruyter, part of NATO’s counter piracy
operation Ocean Shield, freed the crew from merchant vessel New York
Star after they had barricaded themselves in to a ‘safe room’ (known as
a citadel), when their ship came under attack by pirates yesterday.
Press release

28Jan 11

NATO Warship Rescues 2 Seamen After Pirate Attack

Danish
warship HDMS Esbern Snare - part of the NATO’s counter piracy mission -
Operation Ocean Shield, today rescued 2 men from a life boat after they
had fled from their ship, Motor Vessel (MV) Beluga Nomination after an
attack by armed pirates on Monday 24 January. Press
release

26 Jan 11

NATO Commander meets Russian Counterpart in Gulf of Aden

Yesterday, Commodore Michiel Hijmans,
commander of the NATO counter piracy mission Operation Ocean Shield, met
with Commander Podkopailo of the Russian task group at sea in the Gulf
of Aden. The Russian Federation warship Admiral Vinogradov was escorting
a convoy of merchant ships and passed the area where the NATO flagship
HNLMS De Ruyter was patrolling.
Press Release

14 Jan 11

NATO Warship Assists Ship After Pirate Attack in Arabian Sea

Turkish warship TCG Gaziantep - part of the NATO’s counter piracy
mission, Operation Ocean Shield, boarded and searched Motor Vessel (MV)
Leopard after it had been attacked by armed pirates. In the afternoon of
January 12th MV Leopard was attacked by two pirate skiffs. As the
pirates fired small calibre weapons, the crew retreated to a secure area
in the ship known as a ‘citadel’.
Press Release

At
the weekend the Commander of NATO forces conducting counter piracy
operation Ocean Shield - Commodore Michiel Hijmans (Royal Netherlands
Navy), welcomed the opportunity to visit Rear Admiral Zhan Huachen, on
board his Chinese navy flag ship, FFG Zhoushan.The NATO flagship, HNLMS
De Ruyter, was sailing south having previously been suppressing pirate
mother ships in the north Arabian Sea, and as the Chinese flag ship was
close by, waiting to convoy merchant ships in the Gulf of Aden in order
to protect them from pirate gangs, the navy commanders took the
opportunity to rendezvous at sea.
Press release

10 Jan 11

NATO Warship Disrupts Pirates in Gulf
Of Aden

Earlier
today, the NATO warship USS Laboon, part of NATO’s counter piracy
operation, OCEAN SHIELD came across a suspect pirate skiff in the Gulf
of Aden and having boarded it, ensured it was no longer able to be used
to attack merchant ships.

The Dutch submarine HNLMS Zeeleeuw (Sealion) has been part of NATO's
counter piracy mission, code-named 'Operation Ocean Shield'. HNLMS
Zeeleeuw was the first submarine used by NATO in their fight against
piracy. The intelligence she was able to provide contributed to the
identification and suppresion of known pirate group

As well as a submarine, NATO has warships in Ocean Shield. They work
with the other maritime forces, such as the Combined Maritime Force
(CMF) and the EU’s Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) to deter and disrupt acts of
piracy off the Horn of Africa.

Late
last week Danish warship, HDMS Esbern Snare, who is part of NATO’s
counter piracy mission, Operation Ocean Shield, stopped and boarded a
suspect pirate vessel in the Internationally Recommended Transit
Corridor (IRTC) in the Gulf of Aden. The crew of Motor
Vessel (MV) Elly Maersk, who was sailing in the Gulf of Aden, had seen
the vessel acting suspiciously, and put out a radio message, which was
picked up by the Danish warship. The crew of HDMS Esbern Snare
responded immediately, by launching her helicopter and sailing towards
the position.
Press Release

Yesterday,
Commodore Michiel Hijmans, Commander of NATO’s counter piracy mission,
Operation Ocean Shield, met with his CMF counterpart Commodore Abdul
Aleem. The two commanders met on board HNLMS De Ruyter
(Royal Netherlands Navy) in the Gulf of Aden to discuss matters of
mutual concern, including cooperation in the deployment of ships and
aircraft in the Gulf of Aden and Somali Basin. SNMG2
commanded by Commodore Hijmans has recently taken over from SNMG1 and is
now in the area with ships from Denmark, The Netherlands, Turkey and the
U.S. The commodore and his staff were very pleased to meet some
of their CMF counterparts.
Press release

13Dec 10

NATO Counter Piracy Commander Passes Helm to His Successor

Over
the weekend Commodore Christian Rune (Royal Danish Navy), the Commander
of Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1) handed over command of
NATO’s counter piracy Task Force of warships operating off the coast of
Somalia, to Commodore Michiel Hijmans (Royal Netherlands Navy).
Commodore Hijmans is the Commander of SNMG2. The handover took
place onboard Danish warship Esbern Snare in the Southern Red Sea
Press Release

07 Dec 10

Italian Warship ITS Bersagliere Sails Home After Taking Part in
NATO's Counter Piracy Mission

Italian
warship ITS BERSAGLIERE is on her way home after completing NATO
counter-piracy operations off the Horn of Africa. The ship and her crew
have spent more than two months helping to ensure the safe passage of
merchant ships transiting the Internationally Recommended Transit
Corridor (IRTC) in the Gulf of Aden. By patrolling this busy sea area,
BERSAGLIERE has helped to prevent pirate attacks from taking place. Press Release

06 Dec 10

US Warship Kauffman Sails for Home After Completing NATO Counter
Piracy Operations

US
warship KAUFFMAN has set sail for home after completing more than 4
months on NATO’s counter piracy operation ‘Ocean Shield’ off the Horn of
Africa. During the last 4 months USS KAUFFMAN disrupted 4
pirate attacks on merchant shipping and disarmed 17 suspected pirates in
the process. Following one attack on 1 November 2010, KAUFFMAN
came to the aid of the crew from merchant vessel Go Trader, after the
master put out a ‘may day’ call to say his ship was being hijacked by
armed men. USS KAUFFMAN raced to the scene, and after conducting a
full search of the ship, they were able to confirm that the pirates had
fled. Only then did the crew feel safe enough to leave their “safe
room”

Yesterday,
UK warship HMS MONTROSE left NATO’s Operation Ocean Shield after conducting
3 months of counter piracy operations.She is now making her way back to her homeport of Plymouth and a well
deserved Christmas leave.

During her deployment, MONTROSE disrupted
several piracy attacks and disarmed many suspected pirates. One such
incident took place on 25 October.

Pirates
had attacked and boarded the MV BELUGA FORTUNE as the crew escaped into a
safe room where they hid from the pirates. MONTROSE,
being the closest warship, sailed more than 700 nautical miles for more than
24 hours to assist.When they arrived at the Beluga Fortune’s
position, MONTROSE dispatched a boarding team to search the vessel. After
verifying that there were no pirates onboard the vessel was declared safe
for the crew to leave the safe room to recommence their voyage.

Yesterday
evening, while patrolling in the Internationally Recommended Transit
Corridor (IRTC) in the Gulf of Aden, the helicopter from US warship
KAUFFMAN detected a suspicious skiff approaching a merchant vessel
transiting in the IRTC. As soon as the suspected pirates realised that
they had been spotted by the crew in the helicopter, they immediately
discarded their pirate paraphernalia overboard. KAUFFMAN raced to the
position of the skiff while the helicopter stayed in vicinity to prevent
the skiff escaping. KAUFFMAN approached the skiff and illuminated it
with searchlights. After the inspection it was clear that the skiff and
the suspected pirates would no longer constitute a danger to merchant
ships without their piracy equipment.

30 Nov 10

NATO Ship RFA Fort Victoria Tracks and
Disrupts Pirate Vessel

Yesterday,
the UK ship RFA Fort Victoria currently part of NATO’s counter piracy
mission, Operation Ocean Shield successfully disrupted a skiff while
patrolling off the coast of Somalia. Late on Sunday afternoon, Fort
Victoria’s helicopter identified a whaler anchored offshore near Hobyo,
fully loaded with fuel and with pirates on board ready to leave. As
darkness fell RFA Fort Victoria, her helicopter and Royal Marines
boarding teams from the Fleet Protection Group shadowed the pirate
vessel as it transited due east from the shore. As Fort Victoria’s
appeared out of the blackness, the Marines quickly surrounded the pirate
whaler which was now towing two smaller vessels, supported by the
helicopter’s sniper team.

Over
the weekend, a boarding team from the NATO flagship HDMS Esbern Snare
conducted a search of the merchant ship MCL Bremen to ensure that no
pirates were on board after an attack by pirates. On the morning of 26th
November the master of the Antigua and Barbuda flagged MCL Bremen issued
a distress call stating that his ship was under attack from pirates. As
he gathered the crew in a safe room, the master saw some pirates climb
on board his vessel. With the crew in the safe room, the master was
unable to verify whether the suspected pirates were still on board or
they had left the vessel. Esbern Snare raced to the Bremen’s position
and upon arriving conducted a security sweep. The boarding team from
Esbern Snare were then able to determine that the pirates had left the
merchant vessel. Having secured the ship, the Danish boarding party
alerted the crew who were at last able to leave the safe room. “Even
though we are doing our utmost to prevent the pirates from attacking
merchant shipping in the area, the immensity of the Indian ocean means
that we are unable to cover all of the shipping lanes. In this case the
availability of a safe room on board Bremen ensured the safety of the
crew until we were able to respond” said Cdre Christian Rune, Royal
Danish Navy, Commanding Officer of NATO counter piracy operation, Ocean
Shield.

24 Nov 10

NATO Warship Esbern Snare Forces Pirates to Abandon Attack

During
the early hours of yesterday morning the master of bulk carrier MV
Carmencita put out a may-day call to say his ship was being attacked by
a group of pirates in the Indian Ocean. Danish warship
Esbern Snare – the flag ship for NATO’s counter piracy operation, ‘Ocean
Shield’ responded immediately by launching her helicopter to over fly
the scene and let the pirates know that a NATO warship was on her way to
assist the terrified crew. The master relayed to HDMS
Esbern Snare that his crew would be going to their safe room, while he
tried to use evasion techniques to fend off the attackers - who had
fired rocket propelled grenades and AK-47 gunfire at the ship.

Yesterday,
the Dutch warship AMSTERDAM part of NATO’s counter-piracy operation
OCEAN SHIELD, detected a pirate skiff while patrolling along the east
coast of Somalia. AMSTERDAM’s helicopter detected the skiff as it was
speeding down the coastline. Upon closer inspection, it was established
that the attack-skiff was rigged with two powerful engines and had 7
suspected pirates on board with pirate paraphernalia clearly visible.

As
her deployment in the Somali Basin draws to a close, British warship HMS
Montrose, operating as part of NATO’s counter piracy operation, Ocean
Shield, left a parting shot with Somali pirates. During one
of her dawn patrols off the Somali coast, HMS Montrose’s Lynx helicopter
spotted a pirate whaler anchored off a pirate known camp and it was
quickly identified as the whaler from MV Zouflecar – which has been
acting as a pirate ‘mother ship’ since it was taken by pirates on 3
November 2010.
Press release.

19 Nov 10

NATO Warship Amsterdam Disrupts Pirates
in the Indian Ocean This morning whilst on sea patrol near the pirate camps on the
east coast of Somalia, a helicopter from Dutch warship HNLMS Amsterdam,
who is operating as part of NATO’s counter-piracy mission - Operation
Ocean Shield, identified an ’attack group’ of suspected pirates.
Equipment, such as ladders and weapons were clearly visible inside the
pirate ‘whaler’ and two attack skiffs. As the Dutch helicopter fired
warning shots, HNLMS Amsterdam’s Commanding Officer gave the order to
launch the ship’s boarding teams to intercept the suspected pirates.
After throwing their pirate equipment over board, the gang surrendered
and were taken to the warship for questioning and collection of
evidence. The whaler was destroyed by the NATO warship to avoid it being
used for piracy again.
Press Release

15 Nov 10

NATO warship Esbern Snare Disrupts Pirates in the Gulf of Aden

In
the early hours of 15 November while patrolling in the Internationally
Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC) in the Gulf of Aden, Danish warship
HDMS ESBERN SNARE, detected a suspected pirate skiff loitering in the
vicinity of merchant traffic lanes. Upon closer inspection, the crew
established that 7 persons were on board the skiff and a pirate ladder
was clearly visible. ESBERN SNARE launched their boarding
team in order to intercept and disrupt the suspected pirates. Press
Release
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14 Nov 10

NATO Warship RFA Fort Victoria Disrupts
Pirates

Yesterday
while patrolling the West Indian Ocean between the Somali Coast and the
Seychelles, the bridge crew on the UK ship, RFA FORT VICTORIA received a
call from a Seychelles fishing vessel that had sighted a possible pirate
vessel. The fishing vessel had spotted a suspicious vessel with an
unusually large crew and a skiff onboard. FORT VICTORIA intercepted the
suspicious vessel and identified it as being a whaler often used by
pirates in the Indian Ocean. Therefore it was decided to board the
whaler and investigate further.
Press Release

05 Nov 10

Dutch submarine Zeeleeuw Completes NATO
Counter Piracy Mission

For
the past 2 months Dutch submarine HNLMS Zeeleeuw (Sealion) has been part
of NATO’s counter piracy mission, code-named Operation Ocean Shield.
The submarine has been patrolling off the coast of Somalia, gathering
intelligence about the modern day pirates that prowl the Indian Ocean in
search of merchant ships to hijack. Able to operate in
shallow waters, Zeeleeuw has been able to monitor the pirate camps that
operate along the coast and pass information to the maritime forces
operating out at sea. Speaking about Zeeleeuw’s
contribution to Operation Ocean Shield, Rear Admiral Hank Ort, who is
the Chief of Staff at NATO HQ Northwood, said “NATO’s counter-piracy
mission has been strengthened by the presence of a Dutch submarine.
The intelligence she was able to provide contributed to the
identification and suppression of known pirate groups”.
As well as a submarine, NATO currently has five warships in Ocean
Shield. The warships work with the other maritime
forces, such as the Combined Maritime Force (CMF) and the EU’s Naval
Force (EUNAVFOR) to deter and disrupt acts of piracy off the Horn of
Africa.
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Press release

01 Nov 10

NATO warship USS
Kauffman Assists Ship After Pirate Attack

US
warship, USS KAUFFMAN, participating in NATO’s counter piracy operation
Ocean Shield, together with a maritime patrol aircraft from the Japanese
Maritime Self-Defence Force, came to the assistance of merchant vessel
‘Go Trader’ over the weekend after she was attacked by pirates in
the Indian Ocean.The armed pirates had fired on the merchant vessel, before
scaling up the side of the ship.The master was able to issue a distress call, before joining his
crew in a ‘safe room’.
Press Release